Self tensioning guylines...WHY?

**Brute1100** · 01-13-2013, 20:01

Watched it this weekend... The guys without self tensioners had his tent pegs pull out in high winds... I was set up in the same direction, same dirt, similar stakes, and my tarp with tensioners held fine all night...

I'm sold that it was the tensioners that saved it...

**Bubba** · 01-13-2013, 20:10

Originally Posted by Brute1100

Watched it this weekend... The guys without self tensioners had his tent pegs pull out in high winds... I was set up in the same direction, same dirt, similar stakes, and my tarp with tensioners held fine all night...

I'm sold that it was the tensioners that saved it...

A while back I remember reading where in high wind a self tensioner turned a pulled out stake into a projectile that damaged the tarp.

**Brute1100** · 01-13-2013, 21:01

Originally Posted by Bubba

A while back I remember reading where in high wind a self tensioner turned a pulled out stake into a projectile that damaged the tarp.

I see where they could get that... But if the wind was strong enough to pull the stake out, couldn't it have pulled it out and hurt the tarp without the shock cord being involved... I am not saying anyone has to follow my logic or idea, hang your own hang, but from what I saw it makes sense...

I do concede that the shock cord makes a sling shot out of the stake, but if the wind is blowing hard enough to rip the stake out, its going to be moving at a certain speed regardless of shock cords involvement...

**Hotdogman** · 01-13-2013, 21:13

I use the figure nines made by nite eyez I think. I keep the nine on the tarp end so I dont have to come out from under my tarp to tighten them. I can get a tighter tarp without self tensioning lines, they dont get tight enough for me.

**Brute1100** · 01-13-2013, 21:17

Originally Posted by Hotdogman

I use the figure nines made by nite eyez I think. I keep the nine on the tarp end so I dont have to come out from under my tarp to tighten them. I can get a tighter tarp without self tensioning lines, they dont get tight enough for me.

If you run them where the zing it is backing it up you can get it just as tight... I have two eyes tied in my zingit, between the two eyes is a loop of shock cord, so even if the shock cord breaks the zingit is still there... Crank down on it as tight as you want, the zingit takes the load, when it rains the shock cord takes up the slack...

**Bubba** · 01-13-2013, 21:34

Originally Posted by Brute1100

...

I do concede that the shock cord makes a sling shot out of the stake, but if the wind is blowing hard enough to rip the stake out, its going to be moving at a certain speed regardless of shock cords involvement...

Can't remember the details and it was probably just a combination of all the right factors that made it happen. Just posting what I remember reading.

**Hotdogman** · 01-13-2013, 21:37

The nite eyes things I was talking about look similar to dutch stingers or flyclips. Nite eyes makes both styles too. They sell a set of four stinger like things with eight feet of reflective tie out cord on each fir ten bucks. The bigger ones with the clip are three or fout bucks each, for the 50lb size. They also make larger ones with a 150lb load rating that work great securing my kayak on the car roof rack.

**Kyle** · 01-17-2013, 14:23

Brandon personally recommended ditching the tensioners on my tarp when he saw 'em, stating that if you crank the tarp tight enough to begin with, despite some stretch, it'll still be tight in the morning; I witnessed this with his Cloudburst. Soon as I got home, I ditched the tensioners (as well as CRL with prussics) and, now, get a much tighter pitch than I could have hoped for before.

If the designer and manufacturer of the tarp recommends not having tensioners, then I'm not going to have tensioners.

This is for a Superfly, however, and I can't speak to how well this works with other tarps. The SF is built incredibly well and can be cranked down tighter than a guitar string without damage.

My $0.02.

**OldRagFreeze** · 01-17-2013, 15:17

Originally Posted by Kyle

Brandon personally recommended ditching the tensioners on my tarp when he saw 'em, stating that if you crank the tarp tight enough to begin with, despite some stretch, it'll still be tight in the morning; I witnessed this with his Cloudburst. Soon as I got home, I ditched the tensioners (as well as CRL with prussics) and, now, get a much tighter pitch than I could have hoped for before.

If the designer and manufacturer of the tarp recommends not having tensioners, then I'm not going to have tensioners.

This is for a Superfly, however, and I can't speak to how well this works with other tarps. The SF is built incredibly well and can be cranked down tighter than a guitar string without damage.

My $0.02.

Thanks for posting this... I am glad to know his opinion. Simpler is better in my book anyway, so now I'm going to skip the tensioners. Good thing I still want shock cord on my doors or else that purchase would be a complete waste.